Little Street of Horrors
by PatriciaRoseLovett
Summary: On the 23rd day of the month of September, in an early year of a decade not too long before our own, the human race suddenly encountered a deadly threat to its very existence ...
1. Chapter 1

_On the 23__rd__ day of the month of September, in an early year of a decade not too long before our own, the human race suddenly encountered a deadly threat to its very existence. And this terrifying enemy surfaced, as such enemies often do, in the most seemingly most innocent and unlikely of places._

"Nicky, what is going on down there?" Gary called to the back workroom, not moving from his seat reading the paper in the rundown flower shop on the street. The whole street was run down, now that you mention it. Especially the apartment that Rod lived it. Speaking of Rod, he was just now leaving for work. He's tried to cover up the black eye that his boyfriend's given him, but he wasn't exactly able to, so he just left for work the way he was. He runs around the group of kids in the middle of the sidewalk and to the flower shop as Gary reaches over and turns on the radio.

"…and at his press conference today, President Kennedy fielded questions …"

"What did you break now, Lyon?" Rod enters the shop, the door ringing the bell above it. Gary looked up. "So, he finally decides to come to work."

"… concerning last Thursday's total eclipse of the sun … an astrological phenomenon, which has baffled the nation."

"Good morning, Gary."

"Morning? What morning? It's almost got closing time. Not like we've had a customer or anything. Who has customers when you run a flower shop on Avenue Q?"

"I'm sorry, Gary," he says, taking off her coat and checks himself in the mirror as another crash sounded from the work room.

"Nicky, what in the name of God is going on down there?"

"Very little, Gary!" he shouted back as Rod gets the flowers on the window sill and starts arranging them.

"Rod," Gary said, putting a hand on the other man's arm, "could you go down there and –" He sees his black eye. "Where'd you get that shiner?"

"Uh … shiner?" he asked, moving away to something else. He really didn't want to talk about it right now. Or ever.

"Rod, is that greasy doctor boyfriend beatin' up on you again?" Rod doesn't answer. "I know it's none of my business, but … I'm beginning to think that maybe he's not such a nice guy."

"You don't meet many nice guys living on Avenue Q, sir," the blue-skinned redhead said as Nicky came in. _Except maybe Nicky,_ he wanted to add. _He's cute, and he's nice …_

"I got these plants uploaded for you, Gary," he said before tripping over his feet and sprawling to the floor, sending plant pots all over the floor and shattering them.

… _but he can be a bit of a klutz, _"Nicky, look what you've done the inventory!"

"Don't yell at Nicky, Gary."

"Oh, hi, Rod," Nicky said, looking back up. "You look radiant today. Did you try some new eye make-up?"

"I-I'll help him clean it up before the customers get here."

"Well, that oughta give you plenty of time," he said leaning against the counter. "Look. God, what an existence I got! Misfit employees, bums on the sidewalk …" He sees the kids in the middle of the sidewalk and pushes off the counter to go shoo them off. "My life is a living hell!" He opened the door. "Hey, you. Urchins! Move, move! Go away! Off the stoop! If it ain't bad enough that I got the winos permanently decorating the storefront. I don't need these worthless ragamuffins to complete the picture. No loitering."

"I wasn't loitering," Marisol said, a smug smile on her face as the three stood up and started walking away. "Were you, Alyson?"

"Not me, Marisol. Were you, Anna?"

"You oughta be in school," Gary called after them. "Ya hear that?"

"We're on a split shift!" Anna said, nodding at Marisol.

"That's right. We went to school till fifth grade then split."

"Then how to you intend to better ourselves?"

"Better ourselves?" Alyson said, stopping and looking back at him. "You hear what he said?" Better ourselves?" She laughed. "Coleman, when you're from Avenue Q, ain't no such thing."


	2. Chapter 2

The clock hits six.

"Look at that!" Gary says, motioning to the clock. "Six o'clock and we haven't sold so much as a fern." He bangs his hands down on the counter. "That's it! Forget it! Don't bother comin' into work tomorrow, either one of you."

"You don't mean …" Rod said, going to him.

"But you _can't_ mean …" Nicky agreed, coming with the blue man.

"What? What don't I mean? I mean, I'm closing it. Kaput!"

"You can't!" Rod says, looking at Nicky then back at Gary.

"Kaput! Extinct!" He starts towards the door to change the sign to 'closed.' "I'm closing this customer and God forsaken place."

Rod looked at Nicky again, nodding and pushing him towards their boss and neighbor. Nicky clears his throat. "Gary Coleman, forgive me for saying so, but has it ever occurred to you that … maybe what the firm needs is a push in a new direction?"  
"What Nicky's trying to say, sir, is that … Well, we've talked about this and we both agree …" He looks at Nicky confidently and smiles. "Nicky, why don't you run downstairs and bring up that … that strange and interesting new plant that you've been working on?' Nicky nods, leaving the two of them back to the workroom, as Rod continues. "You see, Gary, some of these exotic plants that Nicky's been tinkering around with are _really_ unusual. We both think that maybe some of those strange and unusual plants would attract business if we properly displayed them in the window seat."

Nicky comes back up the stairs carrying one of the plants. "It's not feeling very well today."

"This is bizarre, isn't it, Gary?"

Gary looks at it for a moment. "What kind of plant is this, Nicky?"

"I think it's some kind of flytrap. I haven't been able to identify it in any of my books, though, so I gave it my own name – Rod Two." He looks down, then lifts his head a little to look at Rod like he was a toddler getting caught pulling a prank on his sister.

"After me?" Rod asked, moved by the name.

"I hope you don't mind." He clears his throat. "Well, you see, sir, if you were to put a plant like this one in the window, then maybe …" He trails off, uncertain of what to say next.

"Maybe what?" Gary sighs, shaking his head, as he goes back to his seat and picks up the abandoned newspaper on the counter. "Do you have any idea how ridiculous you're soundin' right now, boy? Just because you put some strange and unusual plant in the windowsill –"

He is interrupted by a man coming into the shop. "Excuse me," he said. "I couldn't help noticing that strange and unusual plant in the windowsill. What is it?"

"It's a Rod two," Nicky replied.

"I've never seen anything like it!"

"No one has," Gary agreed.

"Where on earth did you get it?"

"Well, remember that total eclipse of the sun about a week ago? I was walking in the wholesale flower district that day, and I passed by this place where this old Japanese woman, she sometimes sells me weird and exotic cuttings. 'Cause she knows strange plants are my hobby. She didn't have anything unusual there that day. So I was just about to, you know, walk on by... when suddenly and without warning, there was this total eclipse of the sun. It got very dark. And I heard a strange humming sound, like something from another world. When the light came back, this weird plant was just sitting there. Just stuck in, you know, among the zinnias. I coulda sworn it hadn't been there before... but the old Japanese woman sold it to me anyway. For a dollar ninety-five."

"Well, that's an unusual story, and a fascinating plant." He turns and starts out of the store, but stops and turns back. "While I'm here I might as well take fifty dollars' worth of roses."

"Fifty dollars!" Gary starts to the register. "Yes, sir! Right away, sir!"

"You couldn't break a hundred, could you?" the man asks.

"Uh …" Gary stops. "No, sir. We can't."

"Well, I guess I'll just have to buy twice as many then, won't I?"

"Twice as many?" the three of them say, shocked.

**A/N: I'm stopping this chapter there. I'm sorry I keep switching between present tense and past tense. I originally wanted to write in past tense, but I started typing one part in present and didn't go back and cahnge it. I'm sorry if it confuses anyone. Chapter three might be up later today. Depends on how much time I have and if I finish it before school ends. Hope you like it.**


	3. Chapter 3

"Thank you, come again!" Gary yells after the gaggle of people retreating down the street with their purchases. "Come look at the weirdo plant some more. It's just going to get bigger and more interesting." The three stand there staring after them for a minute, smiles on their faces at the surplus of customers that had come into the shop because of Rod Two. "Don't just stand there!" Gary says to Nicky after a minute. "Quick, quick! Put that plant back in the windowsill!" He starts pushing the green man to the door. "What did you call that thing again?"

"Rod Two."

"Put that Rod Two back in the window where the passers-by can see it," he says motioning to the window. "I never thought this could happen! My children, I'm taking us all out to dinner tonight!"

"Gary, I'd love to, but I've got a date," Rod said somewhat sheepishly, going over to the coat rack.

"With that no good nik? I'm telling you, Rod, you don't need a date with him, you need major medical help. He ain't a good, clean kinda boy."

"He's a professional, sir," Rod replies, putting on his coat.

"And I'm the king of England. What kind of professional rides a motorcycle and wears a leather jacket, Rod? Tell me that."

"He's a rebel, Gary, but he makes good money. Besides, he's the only fella I got." _No, he isn't!_ a voice inside his head says, but he ignores it. "Enjoy dinner. Goodnight, Nicky."

"Good night, Rod," Nicky calls as Rod leaves and heads towards his apartment.

Gary shakes his head, collecting the newspaper from the counter. "Poor boy."

"Are we still going out?"

Silence. The plant wilts.

"You're not going anywhere, Lyon. You're staying right here and taking care of that plant. How come it's fainting all the time?"

"I told you it's been giving me trouble, sir," the man says, going over to the plant and kneeling in front of it. "It just … wilts like this. Rod Two is not a healthy boy."

"And just between us, neither is Rod One."

"If only I knew what breed it was …"

"Who cares what breed it is? Look what it's done for business!" Gary kneels next to him. "Work. Nurse this plant back to health. I'm counting on you."

Nicky nods. "I know."

"You do?"

Nicky nods again. "I do."

"So fix it. Good night, Nicky."

"Good night, Gary," he calls after his boss as the black man puts on his coat and leaves. Nicky sighs, looking back at the plant, and shakes his head. "Ah Twoey, l don't know what else l can do for you. Are you sickly, little plant, or are you just plain stubborn? What is it you want? What is it you need?"


End file.
